Wednesday, February 27, 2008

I posted yesterday with details from the screening of Lord Save Us From Your Followers at Lewis and Clark College. I just came across a great video in light of that; part of which includes an official release date (which I promised I would share on this blog as soon as I found out)! I Can't wait for June 13th!

Here is a really good video was put together about the event and peoples responses to the movie:

And here's another video for your viewing please. The first "unofficially" official trailer for the X-Files movie sequel! I Can't wait for July 25th!

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

I first wrote a response to Lord Save Us From Your Followers after watching it in early October. Since then, there has been a well received screening on the west side of Portland, and more recently, a screening at Lewis and Clark College hosted by Campus Crusade.

After having a conversation with a good friend of mine on staff at that campus I am very encouraged for the movies potential!

First, it must be said, this is a very hard campus; very opposed to Christianity. There is only a core group of 10 committed Christians. For the movie they filled out the largest room on campus with 300 people. The campus chaplain said the last time they had a crowd that big, for anything, was a protest against a possible draft during the first gulf war.

Comment cards were distributed with some very encouraging impressions. Over 100 individuals wanted to continue the dialog that was sparked by the movie. In response to the question "How have you been challenged", many replied that there negative view of the Christian Church was challenged. On man stated (this is a direct quote):

"Yes, I'm a hardcore atheist. I feel my frigid feelings toward the church are at least warmed."

Many event wanted to continue the dialog in the form of service, specifically coming down and doing Nightstrike (If you haven't seen the movie, it ends with scenes from underneath the Burnside Bridge on a Friday night).

This movie has the potential to start a dialog in the barren divide between Christians and the rest of America.

My young adult group at Good Shepherd is going to watch snippets of the film over the next few weeks. It sparked the idea for a pretty exciting spring break service oppurtunity. They are going down to take a team down to San Fransico with the intention to engage and serve the homeless and homosexual community there. One idea being tossed around is to go the hospitals and read books and talk to AIDS patients.Moffet, our college pastor, has been in touch with Dan Merchant (the man behind the movie) and he passed along an update from a portion of the movie. The cross dressing sister from the Order of Perpetual Indulgence was so impressed by Dan's openess and interest that he wants to return the favor and is looking into this Christianity that drove Dan to love him as a person. He asked Dan if there was a Bible College in San Fransico that he would recommend.

Monday, February 25, 2008

I was in Spanish class in Neuberger Hall when a security officer opened the door stating there was an emergency and asked us to leave the building immediately.

The following message was posted on PSU's website: "A CURRENT EVACUATION IS UNDERWAY AT NEUBERGER HALL DUE TO BOMB THREAT. ALL PERSONS SHOULD IMMEDIATELY LEAVE AND NOT RE-ENTER THE BUILDING UNTIL NOTIFIED. NEUBERGER HALL IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. INFORMATION WILL BE UPDATED AS SOON AS AVAILABLE. (UPDATED 12:34 P.M. 2/26/08)"KPTV News coverage: No classes until at least 5:30 (I guess that means my next Spanish class is canceled)Morn's Insanity Blog Post: Two separate bomb threats found during routine patrols. A bomb threat also shut down University of Massachusetts this morning.Daily Vanguard: Notes were discovered at 9:00 am. Email was sent to staff at 11:40.

So let me get this timeline straight:

9:00am Notes were discovered.

11:40am Email was sent to staff.

12:15pm I was evacuated(!?).

12:15-12:25pm A couple hundred people waited directly outside the building before slowly dispersing at their own will.

12:34pm Message posted on PSU website.

2:06 I receive evacuation email.

What's wrong with this picture?

...and I just noticed the message on the PSU website was stated for the 26th? I think I can forgive them for that.

Okay the latest update on PSU's website clears things up a little bit. They caught the date error, but if they were using Firefox they would have caught the spelling mistakes in the latest updates. ;)

"AT 11:53 A.M. A FACULTY MEMBER NOTIFIED PORTLAND STATE'S CAMPUS PUBLIC SAFETY (CPSO) OF A NOTE FOUND IN THE RESTROOM INDICATING THAT A BOMB WOULD DETONATE IN NEUBERGER HALL AT 4:30 P.M. ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2008. CPSO IMMEDIATELY LOCKED DOWN AND EVACUATED THE BUILDING AND VERFIED THE POSSIBILITY OF A THREAT. THE UNIVERSITY ESTABLISHED AN INCIDENT COMMAND CENTER. PORTLAND POLICE HAVE SWEPT THE BUILDING. THE UNIVERSITY IS CONTINING THE INVESTIGATION AND WILL KEEP THE BUILDING CLOSED AND SECURED UNTIL AT LEAST 5:30 P.M THIS EVENING. CONTINUE TO CHECK THE WEB FOR UPDATED INFORMATION ON EVENING CLASSES (UPDATED 1:45 P.M.)

NEUBERGER HALL IS CLOSED AND ALL CLASSES IN NEUBERGER HALL ONLY ARE CANCELLED UNTIL AT LEAT 5:30 P.M. (UPDATED 1:21 P.M.)

A CURRENT EVACUATION IS UNDERWAY AT NEUBERGER HALL DUE TO BOMB THREAT. ALL PERSONS SHOULD IMMEDIATELY LEAVE AND NOT RE-ENTER THE BUILDING UNTIL NOTIFIED. NEUBERGER HALL IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. INFORMATION WILL BE UPDATED AS SOON AS AVAILABLE. (UPDATED 12:34 P.M. 2/25/08)"

Sunday, February 24, 2008

I can't say this was necessarily worthy of a research project, but it does put my mind at ease."New research from Stanford and the University of California, Santa Cruz suggests that there is a method to theaters' madness--and one that in fact benefits the viewing public. By charging high prices on concessions, exhibition houses are able to keep ticket prices lower, which allows more people to enjoy the silver-screen experience..." (www.physorg.com)

So there you have it, smuggle in a water bottle and some gummy bears from the nearest Walgreens and get a stellar price on a movie (I had the important part of the research figured out by middle school).

Friday, February 22, 2008

As the 26th approach I cannot think of another thing that I would rather be doing on my birthday then pay $99 to attend the National Resurgence Conference 2008. But, I don't have $400 to spend on a hotel and food, and I can't miss school. Here's the cool thing, they are broadcasting it for free online. Check it out if your interested.

Understanding the text of Scripture and the context in which we live are essential in preaching the gospel today. This is true whether you are a preaching pastor or a Christian that wants to reach your co-worker/neighbor. Joining us for the Resurgence Conference will be Dr. John Piper, author and pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN; Mark Driscoll, author and pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA; Matt Chandler from The Village Church in Dallas, TX; as well as Jim Gilmore author and business consultant with expertise on studying the culture and trends of today. This conference will also combine the Acts 29 Network Church Planting Boot Camp which will be open for attendees of the National Resurgence Conference. Cost is $99 per individual.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

I have gotten in the habit studying in different location of the library and walking through different aisles to see what books catch my attention. I have developed some favorite shelves over the last couple months, but today as I was wondering through the basement I stumbled across a jackpot! Soviet Union era History!

On that note, I was equally excited when perusing possible classes for Spring term. I couldn't believe it when I saw it, but I'm seriously considering "Soviet History". That is near the top of my dream class list, and that says a lot because I love learning/school in general.

Heads up: I just finished The Irresistible Revolution. Look for a review with my favorite quotes in the next couple of days.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

After buying my MacBook a little over a year ago and being a dedicated evangelist for everything Apple since, rumor has it they have decided to throw a special gathering to show off their latest innovations to analysts and the media, on my birthday in my honor.

Friday, February 15, 2008

My church is meticulously moving through Paul's second letter to Timothy over the course of 4-5 months. I am really excited about this series because 1 Timothy is one of my favorite books of the Bible, which I have logically concluded makes 2 Timothy one of my second favorite books of the Bible. Since we started over a month ago, I have read 2 Timothy through 15-20 time (plus a few extra in Spanish). One verse in particular stands out as I am exposed to many different forms of ministry living and going to school in downtown Portland, a largely anti-Christian culture.

I see everything from street preachers shouting "repent or hell" on campus to tract distributors walking around waiting for someone to grab it out of their hand. And then I read Paul's instructions to live a pure life, flee evil, and that "Those who oppose him (being a servant of the Lord's) he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." (2 Timothy 2:25-26)

My prayer is for the strength to flee the evil desires of youth, to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. That I may have a pure heart, to be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to our Master, prepared to do any good work. So that I may have open eyes and wisdom to gently instruct and liberate the captives of our fallen world; not with a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

So many of my childhood fantasies are intertwined with the adventures of Indiana Jones.

Totally unrelated, as it turns out I got 100% on my first sociology quiz too. I had emailed my teacher concerning the only question I got wrong. He talked to me after class last night expressing that he was impressed by my reasoning, and ended up giving the whole class an extra point on the quiz because of it.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

I just got 100% on my latest Sociology quiz! It took me less then 3 minutes (we are given 30 minutes), and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of reading/studying. I think I have found my sweet spot in the world of academia. Don't get me wrong, I still consider myself a generalist.

Since I have more time than excepted, I'll take this time to some of the mind blowing stuff I have been learning. In the first book we read, A Short History of Progress, Ronald Wright explores the development of society since the beginning of time (as far as he can deduce scientifically). I will share two of my favorite quotes.

"Palaeolithic hunters who learnt how to kill two mammoths instead of one had made progress. Those who learnt how to kill 200 - by driving a whole herd over a cliff - had made too much. They lived high for a while, then starved." (pg 8)

This is exactly the destructive type of infinite economic growth which the American dream is built on. The Federal Reserve Board put consumer debt at $1.98 trillion in October 2003, up from $1.5 trillion three years prior. This figure, representing credit card and car loan debt, but excluding mortgages, translates into approximately $18,700 per US household. When we are faced with these number plainly, it is staggering. We as Americans buy even more then our means allow. Our selfish desire for bigger, better, faster, more powerful, in every aspect of society is not an unfamiliar to the history of mankind, only escalated since the industrial revolution.

"The Roman circus, the Aztez sacrifices, the Inquisition bonfires, the Nazi death camps - all have been the work of highly civilized societies. In the twentieth century alone, at least 100 million people, mostly civilians, died in wars. Savages have done no worse. At the gates of the Colosseum and the concentration camp, we have no choice but to abandon hope that civilization is, in itself, a guarantor of moral compass." (pg 33)

It has been said (by Jared Diamond) that the worst mistake in the history of the human race was the development of agriculture. At first glance, our 21st century minds process this statement not only as irrational, but simply absurd. In fact when first individual who intentionally placed a seed in the ground not only opened the flood gates for a population growth explosion, but also a flood of corruption. As the first early communal societies started to employ agricultural, individuals were enabled to hoard resources, own property, and exercise corrupt power over others who had less and dreamt of more. "With agriculture came the gross social and sexual inequality, the disease and despotism, that curses our existence" (From Diamond's essay The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race).

The perverted use of agriculture by early societies is the same as mankind's response to an ever growing list of so called progress traps throughout history. Agriculture is merely an example which effectively demonstrates the utterly unforeseen consequences and often unrecognized nature of humanity. As individuals, our gaze has never been free from the temptations of material wealth. Throughout history we have been selfish with our time, skills, resources, and power. As one anthropologist, who spent his life studying the earliest known societies, concluded “have been self-serving throughout the millennia.”

I think about this in relation to Biblical account of creation in Genesis. How it correlates with the fall of man is fascinating! Think about God's command that man would now have to toil/work the soil for their survival, that they would no longer be able to live easily in balance with nature. How much of this stemmed out of a corruption of out nature; our selfishness, greed, pride, envy... Think about that in relation to the secular/historical account of how agriculture came to be and how they view it's role in the development of society.

We jump at the chance to feed our selfish nature. The more we indulge in it, the harder we destructively pursue after it without ever achieving anything of lasting satisfaction. We are in a race against ourselves, and historically, we are losing. With every step that is taken, a new set of problems is revealed in our ever widening foot print. Within each of us is a vicious cycle that has been a self perpetuating cancer of selfishness; a cure must be found or it will be the end of us.

Saturday, February 09, 2008

A video was posted on youtube in which Tom Cruise proclaims, in part, that Scientologists are the only experts on the mind. The video was pulled due to a copyright violation claim by the Church of Scientology.

Enter "Anonymous".

In response to the take-down of the Cruise video, a group of vigilantes - calling themselves Anonymous - have retaliated against what they consider to be Internet censorship.

I just had to post this video (it has over 2 million views on youtube). It is the product of a fascinating social movement (Not that I condone their efforts, but fascinating all the same), completely utilizing the internet, which is mobilizing thousands of truth seekers all over the world. It became real for me this last week when I started a conversation with some masked men on campus at PSU with signs and fliers calling people to join in the world protest of Scientology - which takes place tomorrow (Feb 10).

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

I want to share these words, written by Doug Wead, because he captures my sentiments perfectly concerning my relentless support of Ron Paul. I know that for many of you, as you read these very words, are wondering why you should read any further. So to you I say; if you consider yourself interested in the future of our country and the political landscape, if you consider yourself utterly turned off (or not) by the Republican party, if you are weary (or not) of labeling yourself Conservative, or if you are a staunch Democrat/Liberal completely confounded by those who oppose you then read on:

Well now, Republicans say, we have a nominee. That may very well be but there was only one clear winner in the confusing GOP nominating contest and it was not John McCain. The winner was Ron Paul. And the effects of his win will be felt for years to come.

Ron Paul made a classic political mistake. He told the truth. In debate after debate he pointed at his party, his president, his fellow contenders for the GOP nomination, shouting aloud like the little boy in the proverbial story, “they have no clothes” and lo and behold, we looked and they didn’t. They were all naked.

He showed that the conservative movement has lost its way, its moral authority and its logic. He showed us that we have become a red team versus blue team. That since we have decided that this is a political war and all normal rules are suspended, conservatives can do liberal things to win it. Conservatives can run up big deficits if it helps their side win. They can dole out needless pork if it elects another “conservative” to congress. They can go to war if it makes their president look like a leader and wins him another term. But in the process, Ron Paul showed us, that we have lost our way. We are no longer conservatives. We are fighting for power not for principles. We have become corrupted by the process and the only way back is to retrace our steps and find all the things we discarded along he way.

Barry Goldwater lighted a similar fire with his Conscience of a Conservative. Its truth and arguments were so obvious and so honest that one laughed aloud while reading it. But Goldwater, himself, was doomed to political defeat. And Ron Paul had no chance to win this election either. One could see that when he first opened his mouth.

And yet, the words and arguments of Ron Paul are still resonating. They still hang over this election. They are haunting and troubling. They are producing blogs and papers and books and like Goldwater’s revolution they will one day very likely produce their own Ronald Reagan. And when those heady days happen a small but hearty band of pioneers, who first had the nerve to join him and start shouting from the street, “They aren’t wearing any clothes,” will be able to say that they could see what the country missed. They were there when history was made.

John McCain and his poorly chosen words, of staying in Iraq a hundred years, have almost guaranteed that he will be the answer to the trivia question, who was the Republican candidate who lost to the ticket that claimed the first woman and black for the presidency? Another question may very well be, “What other candidate ran that year and launched the movement that has dominated national politics for the last generation?”

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Nicodemus "...came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:2-3)

Nicodemus sees genuine divine activity in Jesus, he sees that he is from God. While this is true, it is not the point. Jesus completely undermines this fact alone and says "seeing in me the supernatural is not the key to the kingdom, experiencing the supernatural in you is the key".

It takes no new life to be amazed at the power of Jesus; even demons acknowledge signs and wonders.

Is the interest in the miraculous because it points to Jesus, so even if no miracles occur you still believe in Him for your all?